Accessible tile with hold-down feature

ABSTRACT

A lay-in ceiling system that has easily removable ceiling panels plus the feature of panels that may not be readily raised and removed from position. The support gridwork is placed in a kerf structure in the panels and obscured by the front face of the panels due to the use of a ship-lap joint. The joint is modified so that one board edge can be raised upwardly from the gridwork while the other board edge cannot be raised. The gridwork is provided with tabs that prevent the board, which will raise, from raising a sufficient distance to free the panel from the gridwork. The panel can be removed only by a combination upward and sidward movement. The panel, which can be raised, is raised till it hits the tab and then moved sideward to free the opposite edge of the panel from the gridwork. The raised panel edge is then withdrawn from between the tab and gridwork.

1 ACCESSIBLE TILE WITH HOLD-DOWN FEATURE [75} Inventors: James C. Ollinger, Lancaster; Henry J. Roux, Willow Street, both of Pa.

Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa.

[22] Filed: Dec. 31, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 889,544

[73] Assignee:

[52] US. Cl. 52/496 [5 l] Int. Cl E04b 5/52 [58] Field of Search 52/592, 496, 476, 573, SZ/DIG. 5, 484

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,332,194 7/1967 Jack 52/592 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 91,153 3/1958 Norway 52/496 94,284 7/1959 Norway... 52/496 1,123,293 10/1958 France 52/496 aee pii a [451 Aug. 26, 1975 1,154,490 11/1958 France ..52/496 Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A lay-in ceiling system that has easily removable ceiling panels plus the feature of panels that may not be readily raised and removed from position. The support gridwork is placed in a kerf structure in the panels and obscured by the front face of the panels due to the use of a ship-lap joint. The joint is modified so that one board edge can be raised upwardly from the gridwork while the other board edge cannot be raised. The grid work is provided with tabs that prevent the board, which will raise, from raising a sufficient distance to free the panel from the gridwork. The panel can be removed only by a combination upward and sidward movement. Thepanel, which can be raised. is raised till it hits the tab and then moved sideward to free the opposite edge .of the panel from the gridwork. The raised panel edge is then withdrawn from between the tab and gridwork.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUBZBIQYS 3,900,997

JAMES C- OLLINGER HENRY J. ROUX BY g ATTORNEY ACCESSIBLE TILE WITH HOLD-DOWN FEATURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a ceiling system that has eas ily removable ceiling panels which are not readily raised from position by heat from a fire.

2. Description of the Prior Art US. Pat. No. 3,248,839 discloses a ceiling construction in which clips 35 are used to hold the ceiling panels in position relative to the grid support system.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,616 discloses a removable ceiling panel which is held in place against upward movement, but is capable of easy removal due to a special grid support system. i I

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,194 discloses the use of a ship-lap joint structure for a ceiling tile so that the ceiling tile may be easily removed from the grid support. However, nothing prevents the tile from being raised by heat during a fire.

It is the object of the invention herein to utilize the easy removable feature of the ship-lap joint with a special grid support so that the ceiling members will not be readily blown out of the ceiling by heat during a fire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention involves an acoustical ceiling panel suspended by an inverted T-runner gridwork. Two edges of the ceiling panel have a joint structure while the two remaining opposite edges abut with adjacent ceiling panels. One edge of the panel has a short upper or overlying section and a longer lower or overlapping section with a kerf therebetween. The other opposite edge of the same panel has only one short overlying section. The panel is held in place by the flange of the T-runner, which has resting thereon the edge overlying sections, and the flange engages the kerf of the panel. The long overlapping section on the one edge of the panel serves to conceal the flange of the T-runner and prevents removal of the one edge of the ceiling panel by a mere upward force. Turned-up tabs, positioned on a side of the T-runner, hold the panel in place and prevent dislodgment of the other opposite edge of the panel during a fire. For removal of the ceiling panel, the single section edge of the panel must be raised, the panel moved sideward and lowered on the opposite edge, disengaging the flange from the kerf.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the ceiling panels supported by inverted T-runner gridwork;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the ceiling panels supported by an alternative Z-runner gridwork; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the abutting edges of the ceiling panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. 1, the ceiling system is composed of individual ceiling tiles or panels 2. Each panel is suspended from the overhead building structure by means of T-shaped grid members 4, which are secured to the building structure by wires 6. Two opposite edges of each panel 2 form a ship-lap joint structure 8 when laid adjacent other complimentary panels while the two remaining opposite edges of each panel abut with adjacent ceiling-panels, as shown in FIG. 3. One edge 9 of the ceiling panel 2 has an overlying section 10 and an overlapping section 12 with a kerf l4 therebetween. The opposite edge 15 of the ceiling panel 2 has an overlying section 16 with a straight wall 18 therebelow. The flange 20 of the grid member 4 is inserted into the kerf l4 and under section, 16 and holds the ceiling panel 2 in position due to the overlying sections 10 and 16 which rest on the flange 20. The overlapping section 12 serves to conceal the flange 20 of the gridmember 4 and abuts with straight wall 18 of an adjacent ceiling panel. This overlapping section 12 also prevents the panel edge 9 from being raised by an upward force against the panel.

Turned-up tabs 22 on the vertical rib 24 of the T- shaped grid member 4 prevent the raising of edge 15 of the ceiling panel 2 far enough to disengage it from the grid member 4 and avoid dislodgment of the ceiling panel 2 during a fire when heat would tend to force the panel upward. For removal, the ceiling panel 2 requires a combination upward and sideward movement. The panel 2, which pivots about edge 9', has edge 15 raised till it reaches the turned-up tabs 22. Then the panel is moved sideward to free the opposite edge 9 of the panel 2 from the flange 20. This frees edge 9 since sideward movement removes the flange 20 from the kerf 14 and permits edge 9 to be lowered from the grid member 4 (see dotted line representation of panel 2). Thus, it can be readily seen that the ceiling panels cannot be dislodged by a mere upward force, as may occur during fires.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that a Z- shaped grid member 26 is used in lieu of the T-shaped grid member 4, and this can be adapted for use in the above-disclosed inventive technique. The upper part 28 of the grid 26 serves the same function as the tab 22.

What is claimed is:

1. A ceiling system comprising a plurality of inverted T-shaped grid members each with a horizontal flange and a centrally located vertical rib, a plurality of ceiling panels supported from the grid members, each said ceiling panel having at least two opposite differently shaped edges which compliment the edges of adjacent ceiling panels to form a ship-lap joint wherein two adjacent ceiling panels have differently shaped edges which compliment each other and are supported from a grid member, each ceiling panel has one-half of a ship-lap joint on at least two opposite sides, one side of the panel has the portion of the ship-lap joint configuration which contains a kerf and an extended section which overlies the flange of the grid member supporting the panel and part of the complimentary portion of the ship-lap joint which is on the adjacent panel, and said adjacent panel having the complimentary section of the ship-lap joint configuration which is meant to be overlaid by the extended section of an adjacent ceiling panel, said complimentary section configuration being just a short extension from the edge of the panel, said extension rests on the grid member to hold the panel in place on the grid member and the edge of the ceiling panel rests against the side of the flange of the grid member to prevent sideward movement of the panel, the first-mentioned side of the ceiling panel has the kerf placed on a flange of a grid member so that that side is not capable of up and down movement relative to the flange member but may be moved only sideward off the flange member, the other opposite side of the panel is capable of movement upward relative to the flange of an adjacent grid member, after limited upward movement of that side of the panel only then is the panel capable of sideward movement since the upward movement moves the edge of the ceiling panel away from the flange to permit sideward movement, means on the grid member for limiting upward movement of the panel having the movable portion of the ship-lap joint above the top of the upper part of the grid member so that the limited upward movement alone of the panel is not sufficient to dislodge the kerf of the opposite edge of the ceiling panel from the flange of an adjacent grid mem ber, said means for limiting upward movement is a tab bent out from the vertical rib of the grid member and the tap limits upward movement of that side of the panel which is capable of limited upward movement.

2. A ceiling system comprising a plurality of inverted T-shaped grid members each with a horizontal flange and a centrally located vertical rib, a plurality of ceiling panels supported from the grid members, each said ceiling panel having at least two opposite differently shaped edges which compliment the edges of adjacent ceiling panels to form a ship-lap joint wherein two adjacent ceiling panels have differently shaped edges which compliment each other and are supported from a grid member, each ceiling panel has one-half of a ship-lap joint on at least two opposite sides, one side of the panel has the portion of the ship-lap joint configuration which contains a kerf and an extended section which overlies the flange of the grid member supporting the panel and part of the complimentary portion of the ship-lap joint which is on the adjacent panel, and said adjacent panel having the complimentary section of the ship-lap joint configuration which is meant to be overlaid by the extended section of an adjacent ceiling panel, said complimentary section configuration being just a short extension from the edge of the panel, said extension rests on the grid member to hold the panel in place on the grid member and the edge of the ceiling panel rests against the side of the flange of the grid member to prevent sideward movement of the panel, the first-mentioned side of the ceiling panel has the kerf placed on a flange of a grid member so that that side is not capable of up and down movement relative to the flange member but may be moved only sideward off the flange member, the other opposite side of the panel is capable of movement upward relative to the flange of an adjacent grid member, after limited upward movement of that side of the panel only then is the panel capable of sideward movement since the upward movement moves the edge of the ceiling panel away from the flange to permit sideward movement, means on the grid member for limiting upward movement of the panel having the movable portion of the ship-lap joint above the top of the upper part of the grid member so that the limited upward movement alone of the panel is not sufficient to dislodge the kerf of the opposite edge of the ceiling panel from the flange of an adjacent grid member, said means for limiting the upward movement is the shape of the grid member, said grid member is in the form of a modified Z and a portion of the grid member overhangs that side of the panel which is capable of limited upward movement. 

1. A ceiling system comprising a plurality of inverted T-shaped grid members each with a horizontal flange and a centrally located vertical rib, a plurality of ceiling panels supported from the grid members, each said ceiling panel having at least two opposite differently shaped edges which compliment the edges of adjacent ceiling panels to form a ship-lap joint wherein two adjacent ceiling panels have differently shaped edges which compliment each other and are supported from a grid member, each ceiling panel has one-half of a ship-lap joint on at least two opposite sides, one side of the panel has the portion of the ship-lap joint configuration which contains a kerf and an extended section which overlies the flange of the grid member supporting the panel and part of the complimentary portion of the ship-lap joint which is on the adjacent panel, and said adjacent panel having the complimentary section of the ship-lap joint configuration which is meant to be overlaid by the extended section of an adjacent ceiling panel, said complimentary section configuration being just a short extension from the edge of the panel, said extension rests on the grid member to hold the panel in place on the grid member and the edge of the ceiling panel rests against the side of the flange of the grid member to prevent sideward movement of the panel, the first-mentioned side of the ceiling panel has the kerf placed on a flange of a grid member so that that side is not capable of up and down movement relative to the flange member but may be moved only sideward off the flange member, the other opposIte side of the panel is capable of movement upward relative to the flange of an adjacent grid member, after limited upward movement of that side of the panel only then is the panel capable of sideward movement since the upward movement moves the edge of the ceiling panel away from the flange to permit sideward movement, means on the grid member for limiting upward movement of the panel having the movable portion of the ship-lap joint above the top of the upper part of the grid member so that the limited upward movement alone of the panel is not sufficient to dislodge the kerf of the opposite edge of the ceiling panel from the flange of an adjacent grid member, said means for limiting upward movement is a tab bent out from the vertical rib of the grid member and the tap limits upward movement of that side of the panel which is capable of limited upward movement.
 2. A ceiling system comprising a plurality of inverted T-shaped grid members each with a horizontal flange and a centrally located vertical rib, a plurality of ceiling panels supported from the grid members, each said ceiling panel having at least two opposite differently shaped edges which compliment the edges of adjacent ceiling panels to form a ship-lap joint wherein two adjacent ceiling panels have differently shaped edges which compliment each other and are supported from a grid member, each ceiling panel has one-half of a ship-lap joint on at least two opposite sides, one side of the panel has the portion of the ship-lap joint configuration which contains a kerf and an extended section which overlies the flange of the grid member supporting the panel and part of the complimentary portion of the ship-lap joint which is on the adjacent panel, and said adjacent panel having the complimentary section of the ship-lap joint configuration which is meant to be overlaid by the extended section of an adjacent ceiling panel, said complimentary section configuration being just a short extension from the edge of the panel, said extension rests on the grid member to hold the panel in place on the grid member and the edge of the ceiling panel rests against the side of the flange of the grid member to prevent sideward movement of the panel, the first-mentioned side of the ceiling panel has the kerf placed on a flange of a grid member so that that side is not capable of up and down movement relative to the flange member but may be moved only sideward off the flange member, the other opposite side of the panel is capable of movement upward relative to the flange of an adjacent grid member, after limited upward movement of that side of the panel only then is the panel capable of sideward movement since the upward movement moves the edge of the ceiling panel away from the flange to permit sideward movement, means on the grid member for limiting upward movement of the panel having the movable portion of the ship-lap joint above the top of the upper part of the grid member so that the limited upward movement alone of the panel is not sufficient to dislodge the kerf of the opposite edge of the ceiling panel from the flange of an adjacent grid member, said means for limiting the upward movement is the shape of the grid member, said grid member is in the form of a modified Z and a portion of the grid member overhangs that side of the panel which is capable of limited upward movement. 